How to Travel with Your Pet

How to Travel with Your Pet

When you have a pet and an upcoming trip, you have to decide between leaving them at home with a pet sitter, checking them into a boarding facility, or bringing them along on your journey. If you choose to travel with your pet, consider the following advice to ensure you’re well-prepared and can enjoy a smooth trip with your four-legged friend in tow.

Tips for Safe and Easy Pet Travel

Whether you’re preparing to leave, hitting the road, or just arriving at your destination, consider the following tips for traveling with pets.

What to Do Before Traveling with Your Pet

  • Pets can become lost much easier when they're in an unfamiliar place. Before you go, update ID tags and get your pet microchipped. If your pet already has a microchip, make sure your current contact information is listed in the database.
  • Different states and countries have different vaccine requirements for pets and different parasites lurking around. Talk with our veterinarian about your pet's vaccinations and parasite preventatives well before you go.
  • Research pet travel requirements. Whether you plan to cross state lines, visit another country, or travel on any form of public transportation, your pet will likely need an official health certificate or vaccination records at the least.
  • If you're concerned about your pet getting carsick or experiencing anxiety on an airplane ride, ask our veterinarian about short-term pharmaceutical solutions.
  • Purchase a travel carrier or crate before your trip, so your pet can get used to spending time in it at home.

Hitting the Road with Your Pet

  • Pack more food, water, and prescription medications than you think your pet will need.
  • Bring along a favorite toy or pet bed for comfort.
  • Schedule plenty of time to stop frequently along the road for potty breaks and exercise at local dog parks.

Considerations for Your Destination

  • Find a pet-friendly hotel (preferably near a dog park) and request a ground-floor room for quick outdoor breaks.
  • Note nearby 24/7 emergency veterinarians, so you're prepared in case your pet needs medical attention.
pet-travel-strip3

Make Sure Your Pet's Travel-Ready – Book an Appointment with Our Pensacola Veterinarian

If you have an upcoming trip and plan to bring your pet along for the ride, we recommend scheduling an appointment with a veterinarian at Olive Branch Pet Hospital. We’ll make sure your pet’s vaccinations are up to date and provide you with any travel paperwork you might need. Plus, we can discuss prescriptions to combat car sickness or anxiety that could simplify your trip. To learn more, contact our office today.
pet-travel-strip4

New Year’s Resolutions Your Pet Will Thank You For

new-year's-resolutions-for-your-pet-strip1

New Year's Resolutions Your Pet Will Thank You For

For many, a new mindset accompanies the new calendar each year. These changes come in the form of New Year’s resolutions. If you have pets, then you might as well choose a resolution that benefits them, too! Consider these suggestions or come up with a four-legged-friendly New Year’s resolution of your own!

5 Pet-Friendly New Year's Resolutions

1. Get Active Together

Getting plenty of exercise is essential to both human health and pet health. Exercise helps us maintain a healthy weight. It reduces the chances of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and joint problems like osteoarthritis. It also releases endorphins that’ll make you and your pet feel happier and less stressed. So, get a harness, a leash, and hit the pavement!

2. Update Your Pet's Identification Information

About 10 million pets go missing every year. While every pet owner takes precautions to prevent their pets from getting lost or stolen, accidents can still happen. If your pet gets lost, you can greatly increase their chances of reuniting with you by getting them a microchip and keeping your contact information up to date.
So, resolve to update your pet’s ID tags and get a pet microchip sooner rather than later this year.

3. Challenge Your Brains

Just like pets need a healthy diet, vaccines, and regular exercise to stay healthy and happy, they also need enrichment with activities that keep their minds busy and entertained. You can enrich your pet’s life and bond at the same time with positive reinforcement training. Consider enrolling in a class or simply work with your pet at home.

4. Get Crafty

Enrich your life and your pet’s with fun craft projects. You can find endless recipes for homemade dog and cat treats and ideas for hand-crafted pet toys. Set a goal to try a new idea or recipe each month. You’ll have fun, and your pet will appreciate your efforts.

5. Open Your Hearts

Donate time volunteering at a local animal shelter or, if you have room in your home and budget, consider adopting another furry friend.
new-year's-resolutions-for-your-pet-strip3

Start the New Year with Your Pet's Annual Wellness Exam

However you resolve to change your life this new year, one of the best ways to start is by scheduling an annual wellness and preventative care appointment for your pet. We’ll examine your pet and make sure all vaccines are up-to-date while answering any questions you might have regarding your pet’s changing health needs. From all of us at Olive Branch Pet Hospital, we wish you and yours a happy and healthy New Year!

Identification of Your Pet

Identification of Your Pet

There are many ways to identify your best friend just in case they become lost. Our office gets many calls each month from pet owners looking for their lost companion. Most people rely on a rabies tag or personalized tag which affixes to the pet’s collar. The problem with this method is that collars are easily lost or removed. Another method of identification is tattooing the pet. The problem with this method is the serial number does not easily identify the pet owner with local clinics or animal shelters. The most reliable and easiest method of identification is via the microchip.
Microchipping is a safe and painless procedure. We place a topical anesthetic on the skin between the pet’s shoulder blades. The microchip is manufactured in an administration syringe and injected under the skin. This procedure is very quick and similar to the pet receiving a vaccine. After the microchip is placed, a special scanner is used to read the number inside the microchip. This number registers the pet to the clinic who placed the microchip. Essentially, every clinic and animal shelter have a scanner and is the first thing which is performed when stray pets are rescued. The microchip is permanent (unless the owner wishes to have it removed) and accurate.
A few months ago, the news ran a story on a pet in the Panama City area which was returned to its rightful owner after 7 years. The pet wondered away from its home and was rescued by a couple from out of state whom at the time was vacationing in the area. Unable to locate the owner, the couple took the pet home to Ohio. Years later, this couple returned with the pet to visit Panama City for a few days. While visiting, the pet became lost and was picked up by the local animal shelter. The pet was scanned, identified and returned to the rightful owner. Therefore, it is easy to see why microchipping your pet is a smart move.
If you have any questions regarding microchipping you pet, please don’t hesitate to call the office.